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| ~ The Gigantic Oak Tree that Dominates the Campo alla Cerqua Vineyard ~ |
Or perhaps I should have said “Rubini e Diamanti”? Recently we put two newly released Umbrian wines to the test; one rosso and one bianco. The wines hail from two different producers, both of whom are on the leading edge of quality in Umbria.
With assorted antipasti, we started with yet another wine from the Scacciadiavoli estate, who we’ve been featuring here at TuscanVines over the past month or so. The 2011 Scacciadiavoli Bianco is an intriguing blend of 50% Grechetto, 25% Trebbiano and 25% Chardonnay. Uniquely, the Trebbiano and Grechetto are vinified completely in stainless steel tanks and allowed to sit “sur lie” for several weeks. The Chardonnay is barrel fermented in large wooden casks and upon blending, the wine spends 9-12 months in bottle before release. The result is a full bodied, yet delicate white wine. It’s rather an oxymoron of sorts. A medium golden color gives way to aromas of white stone fruit, flowers, honey and lemons. On the palate, the wine is full bodied yet crisp, with a long lingering finish. The core of peach, citrus and mineral notes combine well. An excellent pairing with fish or appetizers and even on its own. 89 points. Disclosure: This bottle was an importer provided sample.
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| ~ 2011 Montefalco Bianco from Scacciadiavoli ~ |
The main event for dinner was my Bolognese – which I live Tweeted with step by step photos as I created it. The chosen wine was a recent release from Tabarrini that I have been excited to try after tasting a pre-release sample at Gambero Rosso earlier this year.
Simply put, this wine was everything I remembered. A blend of predominantly Sangiovese, with additions of Sagrantino and Merlot, Giampaolo Tabarrini told me that the 2009 has almost 15% Sagrantino in the blend. The wine is a deep red color in the glass. The aromas are wonderful, with dark red fruits, fresh earth, roses and spices. On the palate, the wine explodes with intense ripe berry fruit framed by leather, roasted coffee, and a dusty mineral tangible sensation that speaks to the terroir where these grapes are grown. It’s beautiful. Giampaolo Tabarrini is a master. 91 points, about $15.
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| ~ Montefalco Rosso from Tabarrini ~ |
Buon Giorno di Tacchino!
John, I agree, this rosso from Tabarrini is pretty much impressive. So much flavors, intensity and harmony in this… Amazing! Also, great posts on the chianti(s) earlier this week.. Wines from Carpineta Fontalpino are great in so many ways, I like them a lot. I have a 2007 Dofana at home that I can't wait to try. Plus, good article the other day about demystifying quality vs size of a winery. I don't know why but I've also heard many times wine enthousiasts having this misconceived idea that big wineries (like Banfi) make generic wines. If you go to Tuscany and talk with other Brunello producers, they are mostly gonna tell you that Banfi is a very good winery. Same thing with Masi in Veneto (which size, I think, is comparable with Banfi, but I haven’t check that). I also think you have put forward some good points, like comparing number of bottles produced between wineries. I may add that looking at the number of bottles produced by hectares under vines of a given producer/wine can also be a really good indicator of quality but in the end, I think it’s both terroir and winemaking processes (from picking grapes to bottling) that are the 2 most relevant criteria when it comes to quality… not size. In vino veritas… Thanks for taking time writing all this, I enjoy every article. Raphael
Raphael,
Thanks so much. It end to agree with you on all counts and very much appreciate your comments. I have a few more recent release chianti to review and coming next week a full report on a Gambero Rosso tasting I just attended on colli Senesi and Vernaccia. Some interesting producers and wines there to watch for.
So thank you for reading and commenting!